If you tend to turn to food to soothe yourself from stress or emotions such as sadness, anxiety or boredom, because it feels like the easiest and quickest way to get a shot of the feel good brain chemical, dopamine, well, I'm here today to convince you that there's even
a quicker way to soothe yourself when you need immediate release (and exercise is not an option)...
because you don't even need to get up from your chair in order to feel relief in just seconds...and it's free!
It's...
YOUR BREADTH
I know you know deep breaths are so important for stress relief but you don't think of connecting with your breadth when the emotion or stress is overwhelming you, right?
That's because you've trained yourself to think "food to soothe".
It's time to kick "food to soothe" out of your thoughts and replace it with
"breadths to soothe". It's faster to connect with your breath than to go to your kitchen and rummage through your junk cupboard for your kids' cookies anyway, right? Let me hear a yes!! AND after you soothe yourself by taking as many deep breaths as needed in just a few minutes, you'll feel NO regrets or be in trouble with your kids for eating their cookies. You'll just feel calmer.
To effortlessly turn to taking deep breadths as a form of stress relief, start the practice of daily meditation so your mind starts to rely on your deep breadths to seek calm and comfort.
When you're in the habit of daily meditation, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.
That's what happened to me when I started. It took me forever to make it a habitual practice because I felt that my ADHD "gotta-get-stuff-done" working mom brain was never going to quiet down to control my thoughts. But I was just ignorant. You never quiet your thoughts. You just observe them while you breath deeply, and whatever thought arises, you acknowledge it with curiosity and without judgment.
It's a beautiful thing. Before I share the simple action plan that'll help you start meditating, I thought it'd be good for you to read through some other cool ways meditation can help with weight loss:
Mindful eating: Meditation promotes mindfulness, which involves being fully aware of the present moment without judgment. When applied to eating, mindfulness can help you become more attuned to your hunger and fullness cues, leading to better portion control and a healthier relationship with food.
Improved sleep: Poor sleep is associated with weight gain and obesity. Meditation can enhance sleep quality, which may indirectly support your weight management.
Motivation and adherence: Building a consistent meditation practice requires discipline and commitment. Successfully incorporating meditation into daily life can also inspire you to maintain other healthy habits, such as regular exercise and mindful eating.
Hormonal balance: Some studies suggest that meditation may positively influence hormones related to appetite and metabolism, such as cortisol and leptin.
TAKE ACTION:
If you want to learn how to meditate, here's your mission for this week, if you choose to accept it! You can even do it right now if you have 11 minutes. Ideally, try to meditate when your family members are out of the house or asleep. If family members are around, let them know you need quite time. I have teens, so I put a note on my door sometimes so they don't come knocking . ✔️ Set yourself a daily reminder on your phone that pops up at the time you want to meditate ✔️ Download the meditation app called "Insight Timer"- it's free and awesome ✔️ Search for "Learn How to Meditate in Seven Days" challenge ✔️ Find a comfortable spot where you sit or lie down ✔️ Put a pair of headphones on(or not) and listen your way to bliss It's only 11 minutes long and it'll feel like only 1 minute!! Keep the reminders on your phone until the day comes where you think of meditating before the reminder pops up! Boom, you're in the habit of it. My older sister/therapist, Vanessa, who's an expert in teaching people how to calm their nervous system, inspired me to start meditating. I love her for it.
Now I want to help you start the habit(I just do it for 10 minutes on most days), so you can feel the power of your breadth in helping you lower your stress in a healthy way.
And maybe you'll feel a little love for me in helping you start!
A final note...It's important to remember that while meditation can be a useful tool in supporting weight loss efforts, it should be viewed as a complementary practice rather than a standalone solution. To achieve sustainable weight loss, it's essential to adopt a balanced and holistic approach that includes a loving, kind and compassionate relationship with your body, positive food-talk so you avoid intense cravings, a healthy diet without restriction, regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, and various stress management techniques like meditation.
Book a FREE coaching call with me and let's have a coffee/tea together. If you've tried repeatedly to lose weight and get fit on your own by following restrictive diets and/or spending hours at the gym(and have found these methods unsuccessful), book a FREE coaching call with me to see if what you need is a sustainable structured program where you have accountability and support. Click here to book a call and learn more about my 12-week LIKE A BOSS Weight Loss Program.
BTW, Insight Timer is not paying me to promote them. I just really like the app!